The Pentagon said on Monday that a near miss between Russian and US warplanes over Syria this month was the closest the two air forces have come to a midair mishap in the war-torn country.
The incident occurred in eastern Syria on October 17, when a Russian jet that was escorting a larger spy plane maneuvered near an American warplane, coming to within half a mile (0.8 kilometer) of the US jet, officials say.
“This was the closest in terms of proximity that we have come to date, and that is why it was a particular cause for concern,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told reporters.
He characterized the incident as “inadvertent” and not an intentional act of hostility.
A US military official last week said the American pilot was buffeted by the turbulence from the Russian jet’s engines, feeling the plane’s “jet wash.”
It appeared the Russian pilot had simply not seen the US jet — either on radar or visually. It was dark and the planes were flying without lights.
The US-led coalition used a hotline to ask Russian counterparts what had happened.
“That emergency line of communication was used and there was discussion afterwards and it’s been determined by our folks that they saw this as an inadvertent contact,” Cook said.
Russian warplanes and coalition planes and drones operate in the skies over parts of Syria on a near-continuous basis.
Source: AFP
